God was not supposed to be a political force in our day. Secularization was to lead to the progressive distancing of the state from religion. This course will introduce the topic of politicized religion, the fusion of two symbolic orders -- divinity and temporal power -- a mixing that is, by most accounts of modernization, an historical surprise. This course will examine the rise of religious nationalism or politicized religion, and its nature as a particular form of institutional politics. In particular we will examine politicized religion through three themes: sexuality, commodities and money, and violence.

It is strongly recommended that you read a daily national newspaper, as the topic of the course tends to appear regularly in the headlines. You will be held accountable for knowing about the major events that occur during the quarter that bear on the course materials.

All the readings for this class, except for one, are available on the web, either through course e-reserves or directly through the web. You are responsible for purchasing a copy of Tim La Haye and Jerry B. Jenkins, Left Behind: A Novel of the Earth’s Last Days, (Wheaton, Illinois: Tyndale, 1995).

April 9: Nationalism and ReligionReadings: Rogers Brubaker, “Religion and Nationalism: Four Approaches” paper presented at "Nation / Religion," University of Konstanz, July 6-8, 2006 Olivier Roy, “The Modernity of an Archaic Way of Thinking,” pp. 232-289, in Globalized Islam: The Search for a New Ummah, (New York: Columbia University Press, 2004).